About Gordon (from the Oskar Blues Website):

Gordon is a hybrid version of strong ale, somewhere between an Imperial Red and a Double IPA. We make it with six different malts and three types of hops, then dry-hop it with a mutha lode of Amarillo hops. It is 8.7% alcohol by volume, and has 85 International Bittering Units.

It features a gooey, resiny aroma and a luscious mouthfeel. Gordon is brewed with dash of chocolate malt in it, to round out its load of hops and balance the beer. The result is an assertive yet exceptionally smooth version of strong beer.

We brew Gordon in tribute to the late Gordon Knight. In addition to opening some of Colorado’s first microbreweries, Knight was a Vietnam vet, grade-A citizen, and huge promoter of craft beer. He lost his life in 2002 while fighting a wild fire outside of Lyons, Colorado.

I like Gordon a lot. It has a lot of hop aroma and flavor, but it’s not overwhelmingly bitter thanks to the big malt base. The chocolate malt is a nice touch. Adds richness.

My favorite part, though, was smashing the can against my forehead when I was finished drinking.

Valentine's Day 2009 at Market Street Viet Thai Cafe in York, PA.

I know I’ll like the beer – it’s one of my favorites – but I’m not sure about the movie.

I’ll share notes on both here tomorrow.

UPDATE:

Saison Dupont is my new favorite beer!

That’s the way I feel each time I drink it. And I’m not alone in my enthusiasm.

My brother, Paul – on leave and home from Iraq (Army) – is plowing through his case of 24. Saison Dupont is his favorite so far. He called it, “The best beer in the world.”

My father-in-law, Jose – a wine guy who’s converting to beer – called today and raved about the bottle of Saison Dupont I gave him during our last visit.

Saison Dupont is a pale, fizzy ale from Belgium, brewed to resemble rustic ales made by farmers many years ago. It’s light, dry, minerally, bitter, musty, sour and soapy – but just a little of each. Like Brian Eno said about ambient music, Saison Dupont rewards attention, but does not require it.

You can read more about saison-the-beer-style on Wikipedia.

On to Hot Rod…

Straight up nerdcore comedy. In a Venn diagram, it would overlap Superbad, Napoleon Dynamite and Freddy Got Fingered. If you think that’s pretty high company, you’ll like Hot Rod. (But you should never mention to anyone that you like Freddy Got Fingered.)

Here’s a description from Unibroue’s Website:

Unibroue's La Fin du Monde is a Trappist-style tripel brewed in Canada.

“Type : Triple fermentation Golden Ale, refermented in the bottle
Alcohol: 9 % alc./vol.
Color: Blond with a golden hue
Taste: Smooth, slightly tart with the balanced flavors of wild spices, malt and hops
Aroma: Wild spices
Shelf Life: 8 years or more
Serving Suggestions: Gourmet dishes, fine cheeses and desserts

In February 1994, after 18 months of research, Unibroue launched La Fin du Monde (the end of the world). It is a 9 percent alcohol, triple fermentation beer. This type of beer was originally developed by the monks of the Middle Ages to be served on special occasions. La Fin du Monde is a deluxe beer made by triple fermentation and a unique way of straining the yeast. This method produces an unexpectedly subtle flavour. With its champagne-like effervescence, it has a vigourous presence in the mouth, which accentuates its strong personality. Slightly tart, with the balanced flavours of wild spices, malt and hops, it belongs to the class of great Trappist beers and, in this regard, is a North American first. At meals, it can replace white or red wines and enhances the flavour of most dishes.

This beer is brewed to honour of the great explorers, who believed they had reached the end of the world when they discovered America.”

Unibroue is one of my favorite breweries and their beers are a bargain, comparing well with beers costing twice as much. La Fin du Monde is a spicy tripel. I enjoy it with strong-tasting cheeses, like blue gouda.

Sam Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner is darker than a traditional pilsner.

Sam Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner and the two preceding beers in this project, Sierra Nevada Wet Hop Harvest and Weyerbacher Double Simcoe, all are hopped in extreme ways. The Wet Hop Harvest has fresh, unkilned (wet) Cascade and Centennial hops thrown in the kettle less than a day after they are harvested. The Double Simcoe and Hallertau Imperial Pilsner both use large amounts of hop varieties that are typically used sparingly.

Of the three, the Hallertau Imperial Pilsner is the most extreme, the most interesting and the least tasty.

Sierra Nevada Wet Hop Harvest Ale is a pleasure to drink and a great showcase for Centennial and Cascade hops, but though the wet hopping gives it a rougher, greener more lively character it just isn’t very different from Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale which uses dried hops of the same varieties. Wet Hop Harvest Ale is like the Beaujolais nouveau of the beer world, a fun celebration of hop harvest season, but not the best representation of the producer’s work.

Simcoe hops have that familiar West Coast citrus nose and tang, but also a distinct muskiness. Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA is a DIPA with a difference, but it’s a small difference. If you’re not a hop academic, you probably can’t tell Centennial from Simcoe from Columbus…

Speaking of academic, you’ll get a real education drinking Sam Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner. The stuff is mind-blowing. I’ve never smelled or tasted Hallertau hops in such high concentration. I think Hallertau hops work better on a smaller scale – try the more reasonable Sam Adams Boston Lager – but in this extreme pilsner they taste spicy and licorice-y, like Saaz or the Polish Marynka hops – try Okocim or Zywiec. You can taste the central European kinship!

Here’s the marketing copy from the Sam Adams Website:

“Yes, we’re a little obsessed with hops. Every autumn for over twenty years, Jim Koch has traveled to one of the oldest hop-growing regions in the world, the Hallertau region of Bavaria in Germany, to hand-select Noble Bavarian hops, including the Hallertau Mittelfrueh variety. This special variety is considered to be one of the best in the world, prized for its unique taste and aroma. Samuel Adams® Hallertau Imperial Pilsner is a celebration of these extraordinary hops.
This beer is one of the hoppiest in the world, without being overly bitter. With the first sip, you will experience an explosion of some of the world’s finest hops. And we mean “explosion” in a good way. Brewed as a showcase for the hops, this bold brew highlights the spicy, citrus flavors and aromas of the Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops that are abundant in the recipe. The intense hops flavor is balanced with the slight sweetness from the malt. The brew remains pleasantly well-balanced from beginning to end, due to the quality of the hops, and continues to always be, well, “hoppy,” providing hop lovers with an amazing beer drinking experience.”

Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA

From the Weyerbacher Website:

“Double Simcoe IPA, 9.0% abv, is our incredible reward for Hopheads seeking the intense hop flavor in a Double IPA, without the harshness. It is brewed untilizing only the Simcoe hop variety. This hybrid hop, developed and trademarked by Select Botanicals Group, LLC in the year 2000, was created for its high alpha acid content, maximum aromatic oils, and low cohumulone(harshness) levels so that brewers can really put a lot of ‘em in a beer and not create an overly harsh taste.

Double Simcoe IPA is a full-flavored ale with hints of pineapple and citrus upfront, a good malt backbone in the middle, and a clean finish that doesn’t linger too long. Check it out, and you’ll soon see why everyone’s talking about it. Double Simcoe is available year-round.

Named 2006 “PA Beer of the Year” by Beer Author Lew Bryson, at www.LewBryson.com.”

Left to right, Summit Great Northern Porter; Goose Island's Winter Mild, 312 and Honker's Ale; and Mamma Mia Pizza Beer

My friend Will traveled to Chicago to spend Christmas with some family, and he came back with a six pack of beer for me. What a guy! The best part of the gift was that I had never tried any of the six beers before.

So far I’ve had all of the Goose Island beers and I’m drinking the Summit Great Northern Porter right now.
I’m saving the Mamma Mia Pizza Beer for a special occasion.

The Summit is nice and roasty, with a medium body. Refreshing and flavorful. All of the Goose Island beers were excellent, too.

Cheers, Will! Pizza party at my place in a few weeks.

From the Victory Website:

STYLE
Bavarian Weizenbock

ABOUT
This dark amber wheat beer features fruity and spicy aromas galore. Significant strength underlies the pleasant citric appeal of this bock beer. Redolent with the flavors of harvest fruit, Moonglow typifies the traditional weizenbock-style so thoroughly enjoyed throughout Bavaria. Left unfiltered, its unique yeast strain gives Moonglow a radiance all its own.

COMPOSITION
Malts: imported, German malts including malted wheat
Hops: imported, German whole flowers
Yeast: imported, of German origin
Alcohol by Vol. approx. 8.7%

AVAILABILITY
Draft and bottles, September through October.